This invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for advancing relatively large articles such as coiler cans which are cylindrical containers for accommodating coiled sliver therein, produced by a carding machine or the like. The conveyor apparatus is of the type which has a stationary conveyor track, such as a roller track on which the articles are supported and an endless article advancing mechanism, such as a conveyor chain on which pivotal article carrier devices (carrier elements) are mounted. Each carrier element is arranged for assuming a latching position in which it engages into a recess provided at the bottom edge of the article and is thus exerting the conveying force to move the article on and with respect to the conveyor track in the conveying direction.
German Offenlegungsschrift (non-examined published patent application) 1,510,356 discloses a coiler can conveyor apparatus which comprises an endless conveyor chain on which article carriers are pivotally mounted. Each article carrier is drawn onto a stationary cam plate and is, as a result, pivoted upwardly whereby it engages into the lower edge of the coiler can. Thereafter, the coiler can is dragged along by the article carrier until the latter, after having reached the end of the cam plate, pivots away and thus disengages from the can, causing stoppage thereof. The coiler cans have an outer circumferential edge provided at their bottom. Thus, the pivotal article carriers are positively and permanently maintained in their upward pivoted, article-engaging position by the cam plate along a conveying path of predetermined length. This type of conveyor apparatus exerts a conveying force on the coiler cans along the entire length of the conveyor. Such a known conveyor apparatus is therefore not capable of accumulating the cans on the conveyor track without discontinuing a forward pressure thereon and likewise cannot separate the cans particularly because an article carrier is provided which is, by means of the cam plate, continuously pressed upwardly along the entire conveyor track and therefore engages the can at the beginning of the track and releases it only at the end thereof after the carrier element drops down as it reaches the downstream end of the cam plate. An accumulation of the coiler cans may occur only on a downstream-arranged receiving platform. The accumulating process involves, however, a forwardly oriented pressure, because each time the momentarily trailing can is still positively conveyed and thus pushes forwardly the can in front of it. Since the conveyor system terminates with the receiving platform, a separation of cans cannot be effected subsequently.